"Middle Child"
Single by J. Cole
from the album Revenge of the Dreamers III
ReleasedJanuary 23, 2019
RecordedDecember 2018[1]
StudioThe Sheltuh, Raleigh, North Carolina[1]
GenreHip hop
Length3:33
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • T-Minus
  • Cole
J. Cole singles chronology
"A Lot"
(2019)		 "Middle Child"
(2019)		 "Shea Butter Baby"
(2019)
Music video
"Middle Child" on YouTube

"Middle Child" (stylized in all caps) is a song by American rapper J. Cole. The song was released on January 23, 2019, through Dreamville Records, Roc Nation and Interscope Records, as the first single from Dreamville's 2019 compilation album, Revenge of the Dreamers III. The song was written by J. Cole, T-Minus, Allan Felder, & Norman Harris, and produced by the former two.[2][3] It was serviced to rhythmic and urban contemporary radio on February 5, 2019. The track contains a sample from "Wake Up to Me", written by Felder and Harris, as performed by First Choice. On the song, J. Cole explores "his place between the old and new generations of hip hop, making him the 'middle child' of rap."[4]

Background and release

On January 20, 2019, J. Cole cleared his Instagram page, the next day Cole cryptically posted a series of posts with lines from the song. They read: I'm Counting My Bullets, I'm Loading My Clips, I'm Writing Down Names, and I'm Making A List, J Cole later deleted the posts.[5] Then, later that same day, Cole announced on social media that he was releasing "Middle Child" on January 23, 2019, at 9:00 PM EST, and uploaded the cover art which featured the song's title capitalized over a static grey background.[6]

On January 25, 2019, in an interview with Complex, producer T-Minus revealed that they made the song about two months before the highly promoted Dreamville recording sessions, which were held the same month "Middle Child" was released. He also spoke about the process he and Cole took making the song:

No. Well, the way we work is we kind of just start from scratch, and we just brainstorm from there. Him and his manager had an idea to pull a sample out, so we went online and we found this really cool loop. The moment we heard it, we all reacted to it. Cole fell in love with it, and I could tell he had the vision for what he wanted. So he heard the sample and we were like, "Yo, we gotta do something on this." So we started filling the track out. It all happened in one day. We filled this beat out, he started writing to it, he recorded it—it was pretty much done within that day. The whole record. It was just a moment and it was actually one of the last days of sessions that we did. We did like a five day run of just working, and it was the last day, so it came right in the nick of time.[7]

Production

"Middle Child" was produced by both J. Cole and Canadian hip-hop producer T-Minus. The song includes an exclusive multi-track sample of the horns section from "Wake Up to Me" by '70s Philadelphia trio First Choice, which was found and cleared through music licensing site Tracklib.[8][9] This allowed them to isolate horns before adding in the drums. In an episode of Genius' Deconstructed, T-Minus explained he "put some reverb on [the horn sample] to give it that effect of it being a little bit more airy, a little bit bigger".[9] Next was the addition of drums to the song, which T-Minus said was reminiscent of KOD "'cause a lot of it's very like stuttery kind of hats, very short but rhythmic". The drums added a variety of sounds, but J. Cole wanted to add an 808 pattern to the song, with the beat going from high to low.[9] T-Minus noted the 808 for being "really hard" and also incorporated hi-hats to add "more energy to the song when it drops".[9] The last production detail was including T-Minus' signature "trippy vibe", which he previously utilized on song like Kendrick Lamar's "Swimming Pools (Drank)" and Lil Wayne's "She Will"—"at the end of the record, we kind of added this effect to make everything kind of sound dark and kind of trippy".[9]

Commercial performance

With only one day of tracking, the song debuted at number 26 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The following week, the song peaked at number 4, later becoming J. Cole's best performing track and highest-charting song until the release of My Life with 21 Savage & Morray, which peaked at number two.[10][11] The song also peaked at number 2 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Music video

An accompanying music video for the track was uploaded to Cole's official YouTube channel on February 25, 2019.[12] Cole announced the video via Twitter on February 22, 2019.[13] The video was shot in Georgia, and was directed by fellow North Carolina rapper Mez, and features cameos from Dreamville artists Lute, Omen, and Cozz.[12] The video serves as Mez' first directed video.[14]

In an interview with Complex, Mez spoke about the creation of the video, he said:

I came up with everything from scratch, but [J. Cole's go-to director] Scott [Lazer] had an idea for the Bentley. He was like, "Man, we should get the Bentley dirty, we should ride it through the mud," you know what I mean? And we ended up having a conversation about how to expand on that idea. It's funny because we're all from North Carolina, so mudding cars is something we all know and understand. But when they said that, I then came up with the whole concept for the video. I was like, "Oh, I know what I want it to be." The whole video is a concept. It's like a flip of Middle America: the NASCAR shit, the mudding shit, the hunting shit, everything. Almost every single shot—even in the grocery store setting, with the white woman purchasing the black girl's features, you know what I'm saying?[15]

Reviewing the music video, Laura Dzubay of The Michigan Daily said, "The visuals used in the "MIDDLE CHILD" video are very evocative: Between the lit-up marching band, the covered dead bodies, the stuffed rappers' heads on the mantle and the woman at the end picking a Saran-wrapped head out of a sale freezer at the grocery store, it's almost hard to land on which theme (if any) might be the most significant. What does seem clear is that J. Cole is asserting his readiness to dominate the music scene no matter which direction it takes next."[16] Writing for The Fader, Jordan Darville described the video as "a fun, symbolic, and provocative set of visuals."[17]

Live performances

J. Cole performed "Middle Child" at the 2019 NBA All-Star Game halftime show on February 17, 2019, in Charlotte, North Carolina.[18]

Remixes

Many remixes have been made, including by rappers Deante' Hitchcock, released on January 28, 2019,[19] Reason, released on March 8, 2019,[20] and Montana of 300, released on March 24, 2019.[21]

Awards and nominations

Year Organization Award Result Ref.
2019 BET Awards Coca-Cola Viewer's Choice Award Nominated
BET Hip Hop Awards Impact Track Won
Soul Train Music Awards Rhythm & Bars Award Nominated
2020 Grammy Awards Best Rap Performance Nominated

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[61] 5× Platinum 350,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[62] Platinum 90,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[63] Gold 15,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[64] Gold 25,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[65] Gold 5,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[66] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[67] 9× Platinum 9,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various January 23, 2019
[68]

References

  1. 1 2 "The Making Of J. Cole's MIDDLE CHILD With T-Minus, Deconstructed". Retrieved February 22, 2019 – via YouTube.
  2. ↑ "MIDDLE CHILD by J. Cole on iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  3. ↑ "BMI | Repertoire Search". repertoire.bmi.com. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  4. ↑ "The Making of J. Cole's "MIDDLE CHILD" with T-Minus".
  5. ↑ Cole, Alexander. "J. Cole Comes Back To Instagram, "I'm Counting My Bullets"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  6. ↑ Findlay, Mitch. "J. Cole Announces New Single "Middle Child" Dropping Wednesday". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  7. ↑ Tharpe, Frazier. "T-Minus Describes How He and J. Cole Made "Middle Child" in a Day". Complex. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  8. ↑ "How J. Cole and T-Minus sampled exclusive multitracks for "Middle Child"". Tracklib. January 24, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Fu, Eddie. "The Making Of J. Cole's "MIDDLE CHILD" With T-Minus". Genius. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  10. ↑ "J. Cole's "MIDDLE CHILD" Is Now the Highest-Charting Billboard Hot 100 Song of His Career". Complex. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  11. ↑ "J. Cole". Billboard. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  12. 1 2 Espinoza, Joshua (February 25, 2019). "Watch J. Cole's New Video for "MIDDLE CHILD"". Complex. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  13. ↑ Ch, Devin (February 23, 2019). "J. Cole Set To Debut "Middle Child" Music Video On Monday". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  14. ↑ King Mez (February 25, 2019). "Crazy...I wrote and directed the Middle Child video..." Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  15. ↑ Fitzgerald, Kiana (February 28, 2019). "The Story Behind J. Cole's "Middle Child" Video, Explained By Director Mez". Complex. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  16. ↑ Dzubay, Laura (February 27, 2019). "J. Cole balances past and future in 'MIDDLE CHILD'". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  17. ↑ Jordan, Darville (February 25, 2019). "J. Cole shares music video for "Middle Child"". The Fader. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  18. ↑ J. Cole (February 18, 2019). "J. Cole - Middle Child (2019 NBA All Star Halftime Performance)". YouTube. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Y.N.S *MIDDLE CHILD FREESTYLE*". SoundCloud. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  20. ↑ Commandeur, Jordan (March 9, 2019). "Reason Adopts J. Cole's Middle Child And Makes It His Own (Audio)". Ambrosia for Heads. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Montana Of 300 - Middle Child (Remix) (Official Video)". YouTube. March 24, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  22. ↑ Shaffer, Claire (May 17, 2019). "2019 BET Award Nominations: Cardi B Leads, Nipsey Hussle Posthumously Nominated". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  23. ↑ Respers France, Lisa (October 9, 2019). "BET Hip Hop Awards 2019: The winners list". CNN. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  24. ↑ Seemayer, Zach (November 17, 2019). "Lizzo Wins Big at 2019 BET Soul Train Awards -- See the Complete Winners List!". ET Online. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  25. ↑ C, Noah (November 20, 2019). "Grammy Nominations 2020 Are In: See The Full List Here". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  26. ↑ "J. Cole – Middle Child". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  27. ↑ "J. Cole – Middle Child" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  28. ↑ "J. Cole – Middle Child" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  29. ↑ "J. Cole – Middle Child" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  30. ↑ "J Cole Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  31. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201905 into search. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  32. ↑ "J. Cole – Middle Child". Tracklisten. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  33. ↑ "J. Cole – Middle Child" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  34. ↑ "J. Cole – Middle Child" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  35. ↑ "IFPI Greece International Digital Singles Chart". Archived from the original on May 16, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  36. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  37. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography J. Cole". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  38. ↑ "Mūzikas Patēriņa Tops/ 13. nedēļa" (in Latvian). LAIPA. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  39. ↑ "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. February 1, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  40. ↑ "J. Cole – Middle Child" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  41. ↑ "J. Cole – Middle Child". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  42. ↑ "J. Cole – Middle Child". VG-lista. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  43. ↑ "J. Cole – Middle Child". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  44. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201905 into search. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  45. ↑ "J. Cole – Middle Child". Singles Top 100. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  46. ↑ "J. Cole – Middle Child". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  47. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  48. ↑ "J Cole Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  49. ↑ "J Cole Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  50. ↑ "J Cole Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  51. ↑ "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. July 5, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  52. ↑ "ARIA End of Year Singles Chart 2019". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  53. ↑ "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  54. ↑ "Digitālās Mūzikas Tops 2019" (in Latvian). LAIPA. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  55. ↑ "Top Selling Singles of 2019". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  56. ↑ "Top AFP - Audiogest - Top 3000 Singles + EPs Digitais" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  57. ↑ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  58. ↑ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  59. ↑ "Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  60. ↑ "Top 100 Songs of 2019". Rolling Stone. January 10, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  61. ↑ "Oct 2023 Single Accreds" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  62. ↑ "Danish single certifications – J. Cole – Middle Child". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  63. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – J. Cole – Middle Child". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  64. ↑ "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 2, 2023. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter Middle Child in the search box.
  65. ↑ "Portuguese single certifications – J. Cole – Middle Child" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  66. ↑ "British single certifications – J Cole – Middle Child". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  67. ↑ "American single certifications – J. Cole – Middle Child". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  68. ↑ "Middle Child / J. Cole TIDAL". Tidal. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
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